Insole and method of and material for making the same



22, 1936. A. c. SEWALL I 2,065,405

INSOLE AND METHOD OF AND MATERIAL FOR MAKING THE SAME I Filed Oct. 8, 1935 m ma Dec. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INSOLE. AND METHOD or AND MATERIAL 'ronrmxmarnnssm:

Arthur 0. Sewall, Auburn, Maine Application October 8, 1935, Serial No. 44,022

' sprains. l. 12-146) My invention, which relates to insoles and to methods of and material for making the same,

will be best understood from the following descriptionwhen read in the light of the accompanying drawing, the scope of the invention being Fig. 3 is a plan of a modified form of insole} Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the ball portion of the insole according to Figs. 1 and 2 and Fig. is a fragment of a strip from which the v insole may be formed.

Referring to the drawing, the insole illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 comprises the ball portion l and shank portion 3 formedo! relatively flexible material such-as rubber impregnated bibulous paper or flannel, or other impregnated fibrous materiel,

, .the opposite end edges of which are skived, as

indicated at 5, and are cemented tothe correspending skived end edges of the toe and heel portion 9,.respectively.

The toe and heel portions preferably are made of relatively stiff tough material, such as flberboard or the like, so as, among other things, to prevent buckling thereof during thelasting operation and pulling through of the lasting and heel attaching nails.

To insure increased flexibility of the ball and shank portions the same are transversely slashed, preferably along closely adjacent parallel lines I I. This slashing may be done by passing the insole between a set of parallel scoring knives'and a cooperating roll, the distance between the edges of the knives and the roll being adjusted to slash the insole to a depth preferably corresponding portion l to from one-quarter to one-half its thickness.

Due to the nature of the material, which is preferably rubber impregnated bibulouspaper formed of long alpha. .celiulosewood fibers, or rubber im-' pregnated flannel, the insole is scored in the form ,of grooves with the surface of the'insole between the grooves rounded, asbest shown in Fig. 4, so as to present what in effect amounts to rounded groove edges II, as indicated in Fig. 4, the slashing being more in the nature or pressed-in indentations than cuts. This construction-avoids the presence of rough edges along the slashed linesofrthe' insole and increases the facility with which the 'ball'portion of the insole may be bent to concave its upper side when the shoe is worn,

tral portion or band ll of material of which the soles from them.

the slashing preferably, but not necessarily, being at the upper surface of the insole.

If desired, only the ball portion of the-insole may be slashed in the form of the invention shown by Figs. 1 and 2. Ifa stilt shank is desired 5 the heel and shank portions may be formed of an integral piece l5 of relatively stiif tough mate-- rial, such as fiberboard and the like, as shown in Fig. 3, in which case only the ball 'portionof the shoe will be formed ofimpregnated bibulous paper, flannel, or the like. r l

Although the insoles may be slashed individually, preferably, properly to,po sition and form the slashing, andto secure a plurality of insoles each of the same character and flexibility, they are out from a shee of strlpmaterial which is slashed, using the e ges of the sheet as a guide, prior to cutting he insoles.thereirom. Such a sheet, as indicate n Fig. 5, may comprise a censhank; and ball portions, or the ball portion alone,- 20

is termed, depending upon whether the insole illustrated by Fig. -l or Fig. 3 is desired. The opposite skived edges of this band H are cemented to skived edges of bands Ill and it re- 25 spectively of material of which the toe portion and heel portion, or one-piece heel and shank portion, is formed. From this sheet a plurality of insoles may be out, say by a stamping operation,

as indicated by dotted lines 23 in Fig. 5. I 30 Besides assuring uniformity and the same flexilbility in each of a plurality of insoles, when out from the above described sheet or strip, the shoe manufacturer by use of the same is enabled readily to have the slashing at right angles or other desired angle to the longitudinal axis of the insole, and along, straight lines, because the edge of the sheet not only serves as a guide when operating upon it to slash it but as a guide when the sheet is presented to the stamping machine. Further, it has been found that when the insoles are slashed separately the edges of the slashed portion tend to roughen due to the action 'of the slashing knives which at those edges tend to'cause projections in the slashed material at the end of each slash line. By stamping or otherwise cutting I the insoles from a preslashed sheet this is avoided. It has further been found that it is difiicult, when slashing the insoles separately, n t l t ntrol the position of the slashing and secure straight slash lines, but to controlthe depth of' the slashing and secure slash lines. of a'uniform depth. These dimculties are avoided by slashing the long sheets and cutting or stamping the ining to the opposite edge opposite edges of said I sisting of sheet material comprising a band of.

It will be understood that wide deviations may be made from the forms of the invention described without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

l. The method of forming a plurality of insoles which are uniform in respect to flexibility, having transversely slashed ball portions of material of different flexibility from that of the toe and heel portions, which comprises forming a band of the material of the ball portion of width not less than the length of that portion and of length greater than the combined widths of the plurality of insoles, cementing to one edge of said band the edge of a band of material of the toe portion of width not less than the length of of the first mentioned band the edge of a band of material of the heel portion of width at least the length of that portion, operating upon the sheet thus formed to slash the first mentioned band longitudinally thereof, and cutting the insoles from the slashed sheet transversely thereof.

2. The method of forming a plurality of insoles which are uniform in respect to flexibility, having transversely slashed ball portions of material of different flexibility from that of the toe and heel portions, which comprises forming a band of the material of the ball portion of width equal to approximately the length of that portion and of length greater than the combined widths of the plurality of insoles, cementing to one edge of said band theedge of a band of material of the toe portion of width not less than the length of that portion, cementing tbthe opposite edge of the first mentioned band the edge of a. band of material of the heel portion of width at least the combined lengths of the heel and shank portions, operating upon thesheet thus formed to slash the first mentioned band longitudinally thereof, and cutting the insoles from the slashed sheet transversely thereof. I

3. Blanks for forming a. plurality of insoles consisting of sheet material comprising a band of flexible material having longitudinally extending slashes, the surface portions between the slashes having rounded edges at the slash lines, and, at band, bands. of stiiftough material secured thereto by skived cemented seams.

4. Blanks for forming a plurality of insoles consisting of sheet material comprising a band of flexible impregnated fibrous material having longitudinally extending slashes, the surface portions between the slashes having rounded edges at the slash lines, and, at opposite edges of said band, bands of stiff tough fiberboard or the like secured thereto by skived cemented seams.

5. Blanks for forming a plurality of insoles conflexible rubber impregnated bibulous paper material having longitudinally extending slashes, the

' surface portions between the slashes having rounded edges at the slash lines, and, at opposite edges of said band, bands of stiff tough fiberboard or thelike secured thereto by skived cemented scams.

6. Blanks for forming a plurality of insoles that portion, cement-- consisting of an elongated sheet of width at least the length of the insole having a longitudinally extending intermediate zone slashed along longitudinally extending closely adjacent lines for increasing the flexibility of said zone transversely thereof, the surface portions between the slashes having'rounded edges at the slash lines, said zone being of width not less than approximately the length of the ball portion of the insole, and, at opposite sides of said zone and contiguous therewith, zones of less flexibility of width at least that of the toe and heel portions of the insole respectively.

'7. Blanks for forming a plurality of insoles consisting of an elongated sheet of width at least the length of the insole having a longitudinally extending intermediate zone slashed along longitudinally extending closely adjacent lines for increasing the' flexibility of said zone transversely thereof, the surface portions between the slashes having rounded edges at the slash lines, said zone being of width approximately the length of the ball portion of the insole, and, at opposite sides of said zone and contiguous therewith, zones of less flexibility one of which is of width not less than the approximate length of the toe portion of the insole and the other of width at least the approximate combined lengths of the shank and heel portions of the insole.

8. The method of forming a plurality ofinsoles which are uniform in respect to flexibility, having transversely slashed ball portions of material of different flexibility from that of the toe and heel portions, which comprises forming a sheet, of width at least the length of the insole and of length greater than the combined widths of the plurality of insoles, having an intermediate band of material of the ball portion of width not less than the length of that portion and having, at opposite edges of said band and contiguous therewith, bands'of material of the toe and heel portions respectively, of widths not less than the lengths of those portions, respectively, operating upon the material of said intermediate band to slash it longitudinally thereof, and cutlength greater than the combined widths of the plurality of insoles, having an intermediate band of material of the ball portion of width equal to approximately the length of that portion and having, at opposite edges of said band and contiguous therewith, bands of material of the toe and heel portions respectively, one of width not less than the length of the toe portion and the other of width not less than the combined lengths of the heel and shank portions, operating-upon the material of said intermediate. band to slash it longitudinally thereof, and cutting the insoles from said sheet transversely thereof.

ARTHUR C. SEWAIJL. 

